Largest Nurses Strike in US History - Replacement Nurses Arrive - Your opinion

[girlvet]

12,000 nurses in minneapolis are going to vote on whether to strike next wednesday. This would be the largest nurse strike in US history. It looks like we WILL vote to strike. The employer is trying to take back 30 years of gains nurses have made here for safe patient care. They are trying to cut our pension by 30 percent, change our health insurance among other things. We need your support with this. This is going on across the country and nurses have to stand up for each other! If you think this won't come to your hospital, you are wrong. Support your fellow nurses.

For more info go to http://www.mnnurses.org/

[OncallRN]

AAhhh haaa...

craigslist had nursing jobs list for 1-4 wks commitment $5,000 per week, luxury hotel accomidations

figured there was a strike pending somewhere

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

I've always found it aggravating that employers are willing to pay mega-money to strike breakers, but they aren't willing to take care of the people who will be there when the dust settles.

[steelydanfan]

I just spent the last few days here in DC at the National Nurses United convention. We supported the Temple Pa nurses,who just won thier strike, we went out and picketed with the Washington Hospital Nurses, and we can be there for you as well. The rally we held at the Senate building was attended by Sen. Franken and Boxer, (as well as the Secretary of Labor, and the President of AFL-CIO at our meeting)who have both sponsered national bills regarding safe staffing ratios and safe lifting requirements. Stick together and MOBILIZE. We can, we will, we must!

[steelydanfan]

Once you realize the absolute corruption of the corporate owners of hospitals today, and come to understand that they have no interest in you as an employeee, OR the patients they supposedly "serve" you will feel alot more motivated, and a lot less afraid to speak your mind and protect your patients by whatever means possible.

[CNL2B]

You are supported!!!! I work in a non-MNA hospital in Minneapolis (you can probably figure out which one, there aren't many) and although we don't strike with you, we reap the benefits. I am watching the news every day and absolutely hope you all get what you need from your employers, even if it takes a walk-out.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

In solidarity.....

As a VAMC nurse I directly benefit from the efforts of MNA.

Proud member of AFGE 3669

[Chico David, BSN, RN]

As I have said before in other threads: Standards matter!

Every place where the nurses have a good contract works to pull up the standards for all nurses across the country, every place where nurses are non-union or have accepted a bad contract works to pull those standards down. The good standards that have been set in places like California, Massachusetts and other strong union states raise compensation for nurses everywhere. The recent victory of the temple nurses was a victory for all of us.

[PICUPNP]

Are you saying that non unionized nurses lower the standards? Are you saying that because many of us are non union we have llower standards than other nurses who are unionized? That's ridiculous! The unions have blown so much smoke up your *** that you don't even make sense anymore. You need to keep talking about that which you know and not about hospitals in other states of which you have no knowledge.

[sibelian]

Whatever the pros or cons of unions in nursing, I think it's disgraceful for nurses to strike a hospital and walk out on sick patients. Whatever we do, we should do no harm. There are ways to achieve professional standards aside from walking out on patients. Looks like my MN license will come in handy ... I just may do some strike work.

[RN4MERCY]

Whatever the pros or cons of unions in nursing, I think it's disgraceful for nurses to strike a hospital and walk out on sick patients. Whatever we do, we should do no harm. There are ways to achieve professional standards aside from walking out on patients. Looks like my MN license will come in handy ... I just may do some strike work.

The "pros" are that nurses are protected when they speak up on behalf of their patients and demand a safer environment of care. Union nurses have the right to due process in seeking redress for their grievances against management without fear of unjust termination. A "strike" is not "walking out on patients." It's a collective action and show of professional solidarity undertaken as a last resort in the face of an unrepentant employer who rejects the idea that nurses should be in control of the environment of care. The public has a right to know when their safety is threatened by shady employers whose interests are not aligned with those of their patients.

I think it's disgraceful for a hospital to harm patients by not honoring the nurses' professional judgement regarding safe staffing and the retention of experienced nurses. I think it's disgraceful for hospitals to harm patients by putting their profits ahead of the needs of patients to receive care. I think it's disgraceful that someone like you will scab for personal gain and undermine the solidarity and question the integrity of your fellow nurses.

A 10 day notice is issued before a strike so that ill patients can be transferred and elective admissions or surgery can be post-poned or cancelled if necessary. Better yet, the notice of a strike gives patients and providers the choice to receive/arrange for care in a hospital that is less hostile to their interests and the nurses who advocate for them.

Scabs are self-serving enablers of "business as usual" who (IMHO) are accomplices and handmaidens in the industry's oppression of direct care RNs. Besides, nurses on the picket line form teams and carry beepers in case they're needed for any true patient emergencies.

[Chico David, BSN, RN]

Are you saying that non unionized nurses lower the standards? Are you saying that because many of us are non union we have llower standards than other nurses who are unionized? That's ridiculous! The unions have blown so much smoke up your *** that you don't even make sense anymore. You need to keep talking about that which you know and not about hospitals in other states of which you have no knowledge.

Yes, I absolutely am saying that - not standards of compentency of course, and maybe not standards of care, but definitely standards of compensation and standards of professional status. Much as you hate unions, even at a distance, the work of tens of thousands of union nurses over the years has helped to set standards from which you and all other nurses benefit - decent salaries most of all, but many other things too. As the nurses in the heavily unionized states have pushed up those standards, the hospitals in other places have had to move upward too to avoid losing all their nurses. And conversely, every time a nurse accepts a job for a sub-standard wage or accepts an unsafe patient assignment because they think they don't have the power to refuse, it makes it that much harder to maintain those standards.